Put down those plastic brooms and come have a real Hallowe’en celebration at the Scottish Storytelling Centre on Sunday 27th October, and bring the Scottish International Storytelling Festival to a spectacular close with fire dancing, ghost tours, guising, spooky stories and a fairy tale fashion show. Fancy dress is encouraged!
The festivities begin at 6pm with Sackcloth and Ashes, our fairy tale fashion show.
Designer, Lubi Lykan, will present her ‘Riches to Rags’ collection, which not only highlights the importance of clothing in fairy tales, but also draws our attention to the slave-like conditions under which garments are produced in the Indian subcontinent today.
The fashion show will be accompanied by stories, music and puppetry that will bring these fairytale costumes to life and allude to the unjust conditions in the present day Indian jute mills that are exploited by Western cheap clothing manufactures. Lily, one of the last surviving mill girls from the old Dundee jute mills, will provide the narrative and historical connections between jute and India.
Hallowe’en Hearth Fires at 6.30pm is a variety event which includes tours, live music and fire dancing. Each tour lasts approximately 50minutes and you sign-up for the tour timeslot on the night.
Ghost Tours of John Knox House run at 6.30pm or 7.30pm. Dating back to the 15th century, this house is one of the last surviving medieval houses in Edinburgh and is associated with one of the most turbulent times in Scottish history, the Scottish Reformation, which forced Mary, Queen of Scots to abdicate the throne in favour of her son, James VI. The house is teeming with drama and storyteller Donald Smith will delight and excite with gothic tales of ghouls and the unexplainable.
There will also be a Liars Tour of the Scottish Storytelling Centre at 6.45pm & 7.45pm, where storyteller James Spence will try to trick you into believing all sorts of bewitching stories about the local area. You’ll get a fantastic look at the Storytelling Centre and the surrounding area, including the chance to see the beautiful Bell Tower. See what you believe and pass on these trickster stories to your friends to see if you can fool them too!
At 8pm Marion Kenny will perform fire dances in the garden to haunting music, and eyeball stew will be available to buy to keep you warm whilst you watch the fire dance across the skies.
“Magical mix of the delicate and the dangerous.” – The Scotsman
And, as darkness falls, venture into our underground theatre at 8.30pm for Hallowe’en Hearth. Gather round to hear scary Scottish stories and songs, as well as terrifying tales from our international storytelling guests, to bring the Scottish International Storytelling Festival to an atmospheric close.
We hope to see you there!
